


Santa's Little Helper

by Annariel



Category: Primeval
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28318008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annariel/pseuds/Annariel
Summary: Stephen and Ryan are both scheduled to spend the Christmas Eve shift at the ARC.  Lester takes matters into his own hands.
Relationships: Stephen Hart/Tom Ryan
Comments: 20
Kudos: 13





	Santa's Little Helper

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bigtitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigtitch/gifts).



> Beta read by fredbassett

Stephen flashed his security badge at the guard through the car window and was waved through into the ARC's underground car park. It was miserable weather: gloomy and overcast with nasty persistent rain. It had been dark for a few hours already and even the short drive from his flat had made Stephen feel tired, peering through the windscreen wipers into the partial view of the road that appeared in his car's headlights.

He parked and pulled his overnight bag out of the back of the car. He glanced around. This late on Christmas Eve the garage was pretty empty, only a skeleton crew were actually going to be present in the building with a handful of others on call if needed. He wouldn't necessarily have chosen to spend Christmas there but now that Nick wasn't speaking to him, he didn't exactly have anywhere else to go. So when Lorraine had asked if he minded being the member of the science team present over Christmas Eve, he couldn't see any real reason to refuse.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and then paused as a second car, a battered SAAB he recognised as belonging to Ryan, pulled up. Stephen felt obscurely more cheerful straight away, even though it was stupid because he didn't think the soldier had ever really noticed him in person. He probably just thought of Stephen any other member of the science team. Still it would be nice to have his company and it was a long time since he'd seen him. Ryan had been recuperating from his injuries in the Permian and while there had been updates from the military team members, Stephen had felt awkward about actually visiting the handsome captain.

He waited while Ryan got out of his car and collected his own bag and then came over to join him. Stephen noticed that the soldier was ever-so slightly favouring one leg as he walked.

"Long time, no see," Stephen said, holding out his hand for Ryan to shake.

Ryan grinned at him. "I know, it'll be good to be back."

"Are you cleared for active duty?"

"Not quite yet, but apparently I'm good enough to make tactical deployment decisions on Christmas morning when everyone else wants to be home with their families." Ryan looked a bit rueful.

The two of them fell into step as they headed towards the lift.

"No family of your own then?" Stephen asked.

"None to speak of. You?"

"No, my parents both died when I was at Uni and I don't have any siblings. I used to spend Christmas Day with Nick but..." Stephen shrugged.

Ryan made a vague noise which could have been sympathy or disapproval. Stephen glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, but the man's face was unreadable.

* * *

The ARC was largely empty and there wasn't a great deal to do. Stephen put in an hour's work on a report and then met up with Ryan in the canteen. The menu was relentlessly Christmassy.

"Turkey tonight or for breakfast tomorrow?" Ryan asked as he examined it.

"I don't know. We're both adults, I guess you can have the turkey whenever you like. You could even have it both now and for breakfast."

"Let's not get carried away. I'll have the reindeer steak, though I very much doubt our budget has run to actual reindeer."

Stephen opted for "Verity the Elf's Vegetable Lasagne" which he chalked up as a brave but ultimately doomed attempt at thematic naming of the vegetarian option on the part of the canteen staff.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" Stephen asked as they sat down.

"Not really, I'll have a beer and watch whatever movie is on the telly. I've got a turkey ready meal in the fridge."

It was on the tip of Stephen's tongue to invite Ryan out for a meal but where exactly could they go at the last minute on Christmas Day? And anyway, it was probably a bit obvious. Ryan might misinterpret it as a pass not just a friendly invite, even though, obviously, it would be a pass. Stephen frowned ferociously at a piece of aubergine.

"Penny for them?" Ryan asked.

Stephen blinked. "Nothing important, just thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow."

"Well you could..." and then Ryan tailed off.

"Could what?"

"Nothing. It was a stupid idea."

At that moment Rocking around the Christmas Tree suddenly blasted through the canteen, followed by a squeal of feedback. They both covered their ears. The music cut off equally suddenly.

"Sorry!" someone shouted from the kitchens.

"What was that about?" Stephen strained to look over his shoulder.

"I hear that the canteen staff have some kind of party prepared for the people on night shift tomorrow. I'm guessing that was part of the set up."

"Who's here tomorrow then?"

"Blade on the military side of things. I didn't recognise the name for the science team, Dr Zhang or something."

"Oh yes, I know her. She's new, just out of her PhD."

"Any good?"

"Hard to say yet. Bright and keen though and she hasn't obviously tried to get herself killed."

"So she has more sense than the rest of you put together?"

"Something like that."

* * *

Lester found them watching _Star Wars_ in the common room as evening transitioned into night.

"Is that what passes for Christmas Eve fare these days?" he asked as Han Solo and Chewbacca fled down a corridor away from stormtroopers. His tone suggested disapproval, but then Lester's tone often suggested disapproval. 

Ryan shrugged. "It was on the DVD shelf. Personally, I blame Connor."

Lester sniffed and glared at the book case which held a motley collection of DVDs, many in the wrong cases. Stephen thought they'd been lucky to find Star Wars. When they'd checked out the _Iron Man_ DVD, the case turned out to contain _Dumb and Dumber_.

"I didn't know you were here overnight as well," Stephen said. He wondered if Lester would expect to watch DVDs with them and felt disappointed that he wouldn't have Ryan to himself.

"No, no. I should have been gone hours ago, but I had paperwork to finish. I was just doing the rounds to check all was in order." Lester looked them both over. "Do watch out for Santa Claus."

Then he turned and left.

"Did Lester just wink?" asked Ryan.

"I don't think so, though I'm not sure what he meant about Santa Claus."

"I hope I don't get woken up at midnight by Lester trying to deliver presents while dressed in a fake beard."

Stephen chuckled at the image and shook his head. "Seems unlikely."

"He might have left instructions with the night porter to do something though. That wouldn't be completely out of keeping."

Stephen considered that. Lester didn't seem like the whimsical type, but he could see him wanting to acknowledge the people who were there over Christmas - and someone must be funding the do in the canteen on Christmas day.

"Will you wait up to see?" Stephen asked.

"Will I fuck? If Lester wants to surprise us, then I'll wait to be surprised at a civilised time in the morning."

* * *

Having been forewarned, Stephen wasn't entirely discombobulated to find a small red stocking outside his door on Christmas morning. Inside was a candy cane, a satsuma, an Amazon Gift Voucher and a red envelope. When Stephen opened the envelope it turned out to be a booking for some kind of meal delivery service -- Special Christmas Dinner - excellent food with all the trimmings to save you trouble on the day. Stephen frowned at it. He appreciated the gesture, but he also really didn't see the point of of a fancy Christmas dinner on his own. He turned the card over to see if there were more details. On the back someone had written `Booked a dinner for two to be shared with you and Ryan. Pick whose house between you. Santa.'

Stephen frowned some more and then went to see if Ryan was at breakfast.

* * *

"Did you get one of these?" he demanded, showing the voucher to Ryan as he sat down across from Ryan's special Turkey Breakfast.

"Yeah." Ryan gestured with his fork to an identical one next to his plate.

Stephen picked it up and turned it over to examine the message on the back, which, it transpired was much the same as that on the back of his voucher.

"Don't you think its a bit, well, odd?"

Ryan shrugged. "I try not to speculate too much on the motives of the civil service. It does make sense of all the questions Lorraine was asking about my Christmas plans though."

Stephen suddenly recalled Lorraine asking him about what he would be doing after his shift ended. He looked back down at the cards. "Are we going to do it then?"

"Might as well. It'll be decent food and, to be frank, I wasn't really looking forward to spending the evening alone. I've got _Empire Strikes Back_ somewhere, if you want to carry on the Star Wars watch."

Stephen felt heat in his cheeks, flushing because he would absolutely like to spend Christmas Day with Ryan. When he looked up he realised Ryan was watching him closely and felt himself blushing even further.

"Er.. yes?" he said. "Your place or mine?" he said, and then felt another blush.

Thankfully Ryan either didn't notice or was ignoring his face. "Yours is probably better. I've only got a bedroom and shared use of the kitchen with the landlady, and she might want it on Christmas day."

Stephen felt himself nodding along. "OK, well, I guess I'd better phone them and let them know."

* * *

Once Stephen got home, he viewed his flat, trying to see it through Ryan's eyes. He wished now that he'd made some attempt at decoration, just to make it look a bit more festive. It was probably too late now, though the garage over the road was open and you never knew what they'd have in the little shop.

Twenty minutes later, Stephen was the proud owner of a tiny plastic Christmas tree, several tinsel strands and an inflatable snowman. He put the Christmas Tree on the mantlepiece and draped the tinsel as artfully around the flat as he could. He put the snowman on the end of the kitchen counter and then set out the handful of Christmas cards he'd been sent. It wasn't exactly a full Victorian Christmas but it at least looked like he'd made an effort.

True to his word, Ryan turned up around 5pm, bringing a selection of DVDs with him, a six pack of beer and a packet of candles.

"We can maybe light them and put them on the table, I thought," he explained. Stephen thought briefly that he sounded a bit unsure and diffident, but then he dismissed the thought. Ryan was never timid about anything.

The dinner people arrived half an hour later. They consisted of a young man, Rick, who looked like a student trying to earn some extra cash and a motherly woman, called Brenda, whose hair was a suspicious shade of blonde and who insisted on referring to everyone as "duck". She fussed around in Stephen's little kitchen. Stephen felt his eyes glazing over a bit at the various instructions about what to put in when, take out when, and garnish just so - however Ryan nodded along attentively and gave the impression he knew what the people were talking about, so Stephen contented himself leaning against the counter and sipping his beer.

Once everything was loaded into his oven or laid out on the counter, the two of them left. Brenda was still chattering away as she went down the stairs. "Such a nice couple!" Stephen heard her say as he shut the door. He blushed again and turned to find Ryan standing just behind him.

Stephen shrugged, embarrassed. "Bound to happen I suppose."

Ryan raised an eyebrow and lent against the wall. "It's not a terrible idea. If you don't mind me saying so, I've had the impression you've been thinking about it since at least last night."

"Bit before that," Stephen mumbled a little incoherently.

Ryan leaned in and kissed him. Stephen stepped back a little startled.

"Ah," Ryan grinned, "I guess I've been more subtle than you have."

"You mean, you..."

"Yep." Ryan turned and headed back to the table. "Mind you," he added, "I don't suppose either of us have been that subtle otherwise Lester wouldn't have been running around playing Santa's little helper like this."

Stephen laughed. "I guess not. Umm.. so are we?"

"I've no idea what we are, but I suggest we eat this no doubt delicious meal that's been prepared for us, watch a movie and then see how it goes from there. How does that sound?"

Stephen caught up with Ryan. He appeared to be doing something terribly organised in the kitchen, but Stephen could suddenly see the diffidence in his movements. Daringly, Stephen walked over and slipped his arms around Ryan's waist, kissing him back. "It sounds good," he said, replying to Ryan's question.

In fact, it sounded great.


End file.
